EDM artists Kaskade and Deadmau5 teamed up as Kx5 at the historic LA Coliseum for their first time back in 10 years on December 10. On the chilly LA night, there was a mix of head turning rave outfits, onesies, fluffy coats, and rain ponchos piling into the venue buzzing with excited anticipation for the show ready for a light show with lasers and fire. Unexpected surprises awaited everyone throughout the night but as Kx5 said “It isn’t a rave until the power breaks down!”
Walking through the venue you can see groups in matching onesies finding each other and people both taking off and adding on layers throughout the night. On every other person, you can see a Kx5 beanie and a drink in hand. There was a wide range in age from new ravers coming to see their idols and ravers who remembered when EDC was still held in Los Angeles.
The LA Coliseum was once home to the legendary Electric Daisy Carnival, better known as EDC. 2010 was the last year there was an EDC LA which was the last year when Kx5 were at the venue 12 years ago.
The event started with Triple XL who began right at the gates opened for the venue then shifted to Anna Lunoe. Despite the grounds of the coliseum filling up the large majority were still on their way into the venue up until John Summit’s set.
John Summit started his set strong with his “banger of the year’’ Lipstick. The stadium began to fill up as the lasers started to grow bigger. He played his recently released song “Show Me” featuring Hannah Boleyn. At this point, the venue was filled and everyone was either in their seats or someone’s seat dancing. Summit ended his set on a high with a new song he said was finished a week ago with vocals from Hayla who also has done vocals for Kx5’s song “Escape.” An amazing transition to the headliners of the night and a great end to John Summit’s set.
A mix of fire and lasers started shooting into the sky. The Kx5 duo consisting of DJ Kaskade, Ryan Raddon, and Deadmau5, Joel Zimmerman, lit up the stage standing tall each on their own moving DJ decks that seemed to dance with the music. The light shut off and everyone focused on a drone show in the sky that spelled out Kx5’s starting song “Alive.” The drone show was made specifically for California and the Coliseum showed the state and an image of Kaskade and Deadmau5 at the venue. They also played their recently released song “When I Talk” before taking a pause.
They stopped their set around 10, an hour before the night’s end. The drones made a slow descent down and an evacuation notice flashed then immediately disappeared. Believing the pause was a part of the show the audience began to shine their flashlights lighting up the venue. During the 20-minute pause, few started to leave, many stayed in their seats waiting for the promised show to continue.
The duo returned with a major light show and came back strong with double the lasers and what felt like double the volume than before. The DJs exchanged hellos and then announced a generator had caught fire in the middle of the show causing an abrupt stop to the night. Despite the major technical issue, the recovery was fairly quick “Someone’s getting fired tonight and it ain’t me!” Laughed Deadmau5 who started joking about having a chat with the power company and exceeding the production budget for the night.
For those that stayed, the night was well worth the wait. They played an additional new song as well as classic fan favorites such as “Ghosts N’ Stuff,” “I Remember,” “Bridged By A Lightwave” and a couple of new songs. A memorable night for everyone and to everyone’s excitement, due to the abrupt stop, was extended past the hard curfew at 11:30 PM until midnight.
All photos by Jenna Houchin
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